The present invention relates in general to an apparatus for hyperthermia treatment of cancerous tissue or cancerous tumors, and the associated method of hyperthermia treatment thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and associated method for non-invasive cancer tumor treatment employing an active radiometer phased array technique.
It is known that a cancerous tumor may be treated successfully by raising the temperature of the tumor, a treatment generally referred to as hyperthermia. In this connection it is known that certain tumors either shrink or disappear at a temperature of approximately 43.degree. C. Based on this knowledge, one preferred method of hyperthermia tumor treatment provides for heating the tumor to that temperature by preferably heating only the tissue at the tumor site.
In more recent years hyperthermia has been accepted as a cancer treatment modality. However, it is generally restricted in use as in adjunctive procedure to radiation therapy for superficial lesions only. The primary reason for limitation to superficial use is related to the inability to focus energy at depth in human tissue. In this connection one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a hyperthermia treatment apparatus and associated method that provides for energy focusing at depths in human tissue.
In hyperthermia apparatus, there have generally been attempted two different techniques for carrying out treatment The first and more common technique utilizes non-microwave invasive thermometry to determine the transmitter power required to heat the tumor tissue In this technique they employ multiple antennae and use amplitude control. This technique does not achieve beam forming.
Other techniques, utilize a radiometer receiver in conjunction with a transmitter to merely monitor temperature but do not achieve focusing with a beam Examples of such techniques are found in British Patent 2,000,335 to Sterzer and U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,364 to Convert et al.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hyperthermia treatment method and apparatus that achieves focusing of the microwave energy on the tumor so as to optimize the coupling of energy to the tumor for treatment thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved system and associated method that combines microwave detection (radiometry) with microwave heating (hyperthermia) for the treatment of cancer.